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Of course, unless it snows. Or, rains. Or, dew freezes on them. Or, there's high overcast for days. Or, they lose their producing capacity over time. As they normally do. Or, dust collects on them. or, dirt. Or, moss, algae, etc. Bird poop. You name it. Or, it's night.
The estimate for solar collectors at my house was $37,000. My monthly electric bill averages about $150. Pay back is more then 20 years and that's assuming that every day is sunny and I never have to clean the collectors.
Without going into more detail it's obvious that it would not be economical.
IF you are on the grid...conservation is your best investment. Switch to natural gas or propane if you can.
BUT that said...here is my off-grid solar versus a all electric home.
Just got my yearly electrical use summary from my ALL-Electric house.
No solar panels.
Total Kilowatts Used.............................24,703
Annual Cost of Electricity......................$575.58
Washington taxes on public power.........$160.02
Total cost of Electricity for the entire year.........$735.60.
My vacation rental solar home....annual cost.
Firewood.......................................... ......$500
Propane..heat, generator, fridge, etc........$1850
Solar system repairs................................$150
Firewood system repairs & maintenance.....$250.
Total annual cost of operating the house..............$2750 Replacement fund for solar system (annual cost) $2000
The all-electric house is 2400 square feet and occupied year-round. The solar house is 1800 square feet and occupied for about 100 days a year.
I suspect living there full-time would probably add maybe another 1000 to a 2000 dollars primarily for propane. The homes are 10 miles apart with the off-grid house being 2000 feet higher in elevation.
The total cost for all electric is $735.60 versus $4,750 for the off-grid home.
It really came to be much closer than I thought. Take your electrical rate and multiply it times the number of kilowatts above and it will give you a pretty good comparison if you want to go totally off-grid.
Not sure where in WA you live, to run $575 for 2400 sf house. We owned 2425sf rambler in Kent, WA and our electric bill will average about $120-130 a month, and that's at 68 day 65 night t-stat. And very occasional AC use only on very hot summer days.
I recently received an estimate from the top local roofer in my area. On the estimate it read "Note: Installation of solar panels on the new roof void all warrantees and guarantees under the area(S) of the solar panels"
I would think you have to take roof leaks into consideration and the costly repairs and potential major damage they can cause when considering solar panels.
I have personally heard too many nightmare stories about solar panels to consider them.
Around here Tesla tile roofs are starting to become a thing. It mostly makes $ sense for those seeking to replace their roof already. Ripping off a new roof to put down tesla tiles would be a lot of money down the drain. It costs about 30k for a home to get about a 9 Kw Tesla roof (after tax incentives).
At one time, I was considering a Tesla tile roof. But then I heard you can't walk on a Tesla tile roof. I don't walk on my roof often but I'd like the option to walk on my roof.
Not sure where in WA you live, to run $575 for 2400 sf house. We owned 2425sf rambler in Kent, WA and our electric bill will average about $120-130 a month, and that's at 68 day 65 night t-stat. And very occasional AC use only on very hot summer days.
Chelan County.
It was quite a shock when we moved over from Douglas County. Our electrical rates went up about 30%!!!
If it wasn't that my commute was much shorter, I would have moved back across the Columbia River.
BTW....is Puget Sound Energy your electrical provider?? Chelan County sells a significant part of its hydro generation to PSE. Hey, thanks for funding our fiber-optic system!!
I recently received an estimate from the top local roofer in my area. On the estimate it read "Note: Installation of solar panels on the new roof void all warrantees and guarantees under the area(S) of the solar panels"
I would think you have to take roof leaks into consideration and the costly repairs and potential major damage they can cause when considering solar panels.
I have personally heard too many nightmare stories about solar panels to consider them.
That would take the crappiest solar install ever. My roof mounts are flashed and the screws have a protective cap. Plus the company that did my metal roof came out and met the solar installer and when they we're done said- "yup- warranty is okay". In writing too.
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